Hat or cap with sizing insert or element



March 20, 1962 M. M. HANNA ET AL HAT OR CAP WITH SIZING INSERT OR ELEMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Filed Dec- 3, 1959 INVENTORS.

MILTON M. HANNA FRANK K. LIPSCHUTZ ATTORNEYS March 20, 1962 M. M. HANNA ET AL 3,025,529

HAT OR CAP WITH SIZING INSERT OR ELEMENT Filed Dec. 5, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR S MILTON M. HANNA BY FRANK K. LIPSCHUTZ ATTO RN EYS United States Patent 3,025,529 HAT QR CAP WETH iZlNG INSERT @R ELEMENT Milton M. Hanna, Louisville, and Frank K. Lipschutz,

Anchorage, Ky assignors to Louisville Cap Corporation, Louisville, Ky, a corporation of Kentucky Filed Dec. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 857,132 6 Claims. (Cl. 2-197) This invention relates generally to hats or caps which are self-adiusting to conform to different head sizes.

it has heretofore been proposed to provide hats or caps with various elastic means, usually incorporated in the lining of the hat or cap, in the sweatband, or as part of the crown or side wall construction, which enables a hat or cap of a single size to be worn by persons requiring a larger size of hat or cap.

Aside from the complexity of the construction required for incorporating such elastic means in a hat or cap, in these ways, it has been discovered that the hat or cap, when worn usually has an uncomfortable feel, as far as concerns the wearer, especially when such elastic means is disposed adjacent the rear of the hat or cap, or engages the rear of the head of the wearer. In some cases, the hat or cap also becomes distorted or changed as to external shape or appearance when worn, due primarily to the improper location of the elastic means or members with respect to the hat or cap.

The present invention has as its primary object the provision of a hat or cap which has incorporated therein elastic inserts or elements designed to enable a single size of hat or cap to be worn on heads of larger size, but which inserts or elements are so located in the hat or cap as to render the hat or cap extremely comfortable to the wearer, irrespective of the extent to which such elastic inserts or elements are stretched.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hat or cap of the character described, in which the elastic inserts are of such a nature and so located in the cap that the external shape or appearance of the cap is not varied, regardless of the head size.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hat or cap of the character described, in which the elastic inserts or elements are so located that they function to a considerable extent as a sweatband, and particularly at a position on the wearers head where a maximum of sweating is likely to occur.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hat or cap of the character described, in which the elastic inserts or elements are of extremely simple construction, and incorporated in the hat or cap in a manner which adds very little, in the way of material or labor, to the cost of manufacture of the hat or cap.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a hat or cap of the character described, in which the elastic insert or element, in at least one form is virtually an extension of the visor of the hat or cap.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a cap embodying one form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the cap of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the cap of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on the line a'-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view, similar to FIG. 3, but showing a modification of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

3,@Z5,5Z9 Patented Mar. 28, 1962 FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but showing another modification of the invention, and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View, taken on the line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive of the drawings, a cap is shown of the military or fatigue type, comprising a visor 1 of the usual crescent shape, consisting of an inner reinforcing member 2 which serves to impart some stiffness to the visor so that it assumes a slightly bowed shape, and upper and lower facings 3 and 4 respectively made of a suitable fabric, the nature of which will be explained presently.

The facings 3 and 4 are sewn to each other and to the reinforcing member 2 by lines of stitching 5, and the forward edge of the facing 3 is turned over as at 6 and secured to the facing 4 by stitching 7.

The crown structure of the cap includes a side wall structure, generally designated by reference numeral 3. and a tip or cover 9.

The side wall structure 8 comprises an outer covering 10 of cloth or fabric which extends downwardly from the tip 9, to a point where it is secured, as by stitching 11, to the upper hem of an outer cloth band 12 of the crown structure. The band 12 is turned inwardly at its lower edge to provide a hem 13, which is secured, as by stitching 14, to the portion 15 of the facing 3 of the visor which extends rearwardly of the reinforcing insert 2.

The side wall structure 8 also includes an inner lining 16 of cloth or fabric, which extends downwardly from the tip 9, to a point, where it is secured, as by stitching 17, to the upper hem of an inner cloth band 13 of the crown structure, which functions as a sweat band for the cap.

The side wall structure further includes a reinforcing member 20, which is disposed between the outer covering Ill and inner lining 16 and between the bands 12 and 18 and is secured in place by being stitched to one or more of these parts of the side wall structure. The member 20 is preferably made of a nylon mesh material, having a melamine finish or coating, its function being to add rigidity or stiffness to the crown structure. It is sufiiciently flexible to be bent, yet has sufficient resiliency to cause it to return to its original shape or condition upon release of the forces or pressures which tend to bend it. It therefore enables the cap to retain its original form under all conditions of use.

In that form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive, the lower facing 4 of the visor is extended substantially horizontally to provide a fiap or tongue 21 of double thickness, which extends rearwardly of the visor, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and into the interior of the cap. This flap or tongue 2i terminates in a hem or flange 22 which extends upwardly into the space between the lower hem 23 of the sweatband l8 and the portion 15 of the facing 3 of the visor, this hem or flange 22 being secured to the hem 23 and portion 15 by stitching 24.

As best seen in FIG. 3, the flap or tongue 21 is of crescent-shaped contour, so that its mid-portion extends into the cap to a greater extent than do its marginal or end portions.

The facing 4, and accordingly the flap or tongue 231 is made, in this instance, of a material or fabric which is stretchable or elongated in a direction transversely of the cap, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 3. As a consequence, when the cap is worn by a person whose head is larger than that of a person whose head size would normally fit the area defined by the rear edge 25 of the flap or tongue 21 and that portion of the sweat band 18 which is disposed rearwardly of such edge, the tongue or flap 21 will stretch to accommodate the larger head. in

I.) this manner, a cap of a single size may be worn by persons requiring a larger size of cap.

Due to the shape or contour of the fiap or tongue 21, and its location near the front of the cap, the cap is extremely comfortable to the wearer irrespective of the head size of the wearer, within the limits of head sizes accommodated by the cap, and irrespective of the extent to which the flap or tongue is stretched.

Moreover, and in contrast to caps in which elastic inserts are incorporated at the rear of the cap in other locations, the location of the tongue or flap near the front of the cap enables the cap to be fitted to the head of the wearer, with virtually no distortion in the shape of the cap or alteration in its external shape or appearance.

The shape or contour of the flap taken in conjunction With its location adjacent the front of the cap, enables the flap to also function as a sweatband for the forehead or brow of the wearer, where sweating is more likely to occur than at other parts of the head of the wearer.

The flap or tongue is also of extremely simple construction, and is incorporated in the cap in a manner which adds very little, in the way of material or labor, to the cost of manufacture of the cap. In the form described, the flap or tongue is an integral part of one of the visor facings, so that theprovision of an elastic insert, as a separate element or part of the cap, is thereby avoided.

In that form of the invention shown in FIGS. and 6, an elastic insert 21' is provided, which is of substantially the same construction, shape and contour as the flap 21, and is located in the cap in the same position as the flap 21. In this case, however, the insert 21 is made of a separate piece of fabric having stretchability in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIG. 5. The insert 21 is sewn to the cap by a line of stitching 26, as shown in FIG. 6.

In that form of the invention shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a strip 21" of material is provided, which has stretch properties in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIG. 7. This strip is disposed rearwardly of the visor and extends across the cap in a substantially horizontal plane which coincides substantially with the plane of the lower edge of the crown structure of the cap. The strip has its ends 27 turned upwardly and sewed into the structure of the cap in the manner shown in FIG. 8.

The strip 21" provides substantially the same advantages, as to adjustability for size, as the tongues or flaps 21 and 21', and while it has some disadvantages from the viewpoint of appearance, this is counterbalanced to some extent by the ease with which it may be incorporated in a cap, and by the fact that it provides a ventilating space 28 between the rear edge of the visor and the front edge of the strip.

Although the invention has been described particularly with reference to caps, it will be readily understood that it is applicable as well to hats, which, in essence, are caps with brims instead of visors.

It is to be understood that the forms of the invention which have been described are to be taken as preferred examples of the invention, and that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a head covering of the character described, a crown structure, a visor extending forwardly from the lower edge of said crown structure, and an element extending rearwardly from the rear edge of said visor and into the space defined by said crown structure, said element being of crescent-shaped conformation and consisting in its entirety of a material which is stretchable in a direction transversely of said covering, whereby to ac commodate the covering to heads of different sizes.

2. A head covering, as defined in claim 1, in which said visor has a lower facing which is extended rearwardly to provide said element.

3. A head covering, as defined in claim 1, in which said element is a separate element, independent of the visor, and having its forward convex edge sewn to the cap rearwardly of the visor.

4. In a cap of the character described, a crown structure having a sweat band on its its inner surface adjacent the lower edge of the crown structure, a visor extending forwardly from the lower edge of said crown structure, and an element extending rearwardly of said visor, beyond the portion of said sweat band which is adjacent said visor, and into the space defined by said crown structure, said element being of crescent-shaped conformation and consisting in its entirety of a material having stretchability in a direction transversely of said cap, whereby to accommodate the cap to heads of different sizes.

5. A cap, as defined in claim 4, in which said visor has a lower facing which is extended rearwardly to provide said element.

6. A cap, as defined in claim 4, in which said element is a separate element, independent of the visor, and having its forward convex edge sewn to the cap rearwardly of the visor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 942,303 Baker Dec. 7, 1909 FOREIGN PATENTS 9,425 Great Britain Apr. 18, 1911 219,827 Great Britain Aug. 7, 1924 441,046 Great Britain Jan. 10, 1936 

